Articolo 31 were formed by rapper J-Ax (real name Alessandro Aleotti) and DJ Jad (Vito Luca Perrini). In the spoken intro of Strade di Città ("City Streets"), it is stated that the band is named after the article of the Irish constitution guaranteeing freedom of the press, although it must be noted that article 31 of the Irish constitution is not about the freedom of the press. They probably meant the Section 31 of the Broadcasting Authority Act.

Articolo 31 released one of the first Italian hip hop records, Strade di città, in 1993. Soon, they signed with BMG Ricordi and started to mix rap with pop music - a move that earned them great commercial success but that alienated the underground hip hop scene, who perceived them as traitors. In 1997, DJ Gruff dissed Articolo 31 in a track titled 1 vs 2 on the first album of the beatmaker Fritz da Cat, starting a feud that would go on for years.